ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday formed a committee to reactivate the Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project, directing the relevant officials to com­plete investigation into its recent closure and identify those responsible for the defects in its design.

While chairing a meeting at PM House during which a preliminary investigation report was presented, the prime minister expressed annoyance over the ‘criminal negligence’ committed in the past and ordered immediate completion of the probe and strict action against those found responsible for it.

“Experts pointed out that there were defects in the design, concrete lining was not done, how unfortunate is that such a big and important project was neglected,” Mr Sharif said, while questioning why a detailed geological survey had not been conducted for the project.

He remarked that ‘criminal negligence’ was committed by not conducting a third party validation of the project.

Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema, Information Minister Ataullah Tarrar, Power Minister Awais Leghari, Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Jehanzeb Khan, Coordinator to PM Rana Ehsaan Afzal, Wapda Chairman Sajjad Ghani, former interior secretary Shahid Khan and other high officials attended the meeting.

Former interior secretary Shahid Khan, who is heading the investigation committee probing recent faults in the hydropower project, presented the preliminary investigation report at the meeting.

In a detailed briefing, the PM was informed that due to a drop in pressure in the right and left headrace tunnels of Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project on April 29, there was a reduction in power generation, which completely stopped later on May 2.

While issuing directives for immediate completion of the investigation, the PM told the officials that the project’s closure was causing a loss of millions of rupees to the national exchequer.

Mr Sharif was informed that the place where the current fault occurred was the rock burst zone.

The meeting was apprised that a significant decrease in power generation was seen due to an abnormal drop in pressure in the headrace tunnel in 2021 as well, but the abnormal change in the pressure had been ignored and not even reported. “The matter was deliberately suppressed,” the PM was told.

During the PTI regime, no repair work was done after the abnormality in the project, which resulted in an increase in losses, the meeting was told.

The PM was informed that defects developed in the hydropower project in 2021 were also being made part of the investigation report.

Also, due to a fault in the tailrace tunnel, power generation was suspended in 2022.

Besides, geophysical and seismic factors were ignored in the construction of Neelum-Jhelum hydropower project and adequate concrete lining of the headrace tunnel was not carried out.

Published in Dawn, July 15th, 2024